Reviews :

Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Feb. 1, 1994 (Vol. 90, No. 11))
Translated from the Danish, this is an exciting adventure in the ever-popular World War II genre of ordinary kids fighting the Nazi occupation. From the viewpoint of teenager Lars, we see how the war brings intensity and exhilaration to his small town. Then, gradually, mischievous pranks give way to real risks; the hideous talk of racial purity threatens a Jewish friend; and even a teacher turns out to be a collaborator. The story takes a while to get going, especially the lugubrious subplot about Lars taking his brother's girlfriend, and there's some heavyhanded mythic symbolism about "fallen angels." What will hold readers is the action, the story of the boys' secret sabotage, and their loss of innocence. As the novel builds to a tense climax, Lars and his gang of boys carry out their careful plan to blow up a train--but the Gestapo is there waiting for them. The world is irrevocably changed. Category: Older Readers. 1994, Dutton, $14.99. Gr. 7-10.
(PUBLISHER: Dutton Children's Books (New York N.Y.:), PUBLISHED: 1994.)

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 1994)
At first a small group of young men only think of pranks to achieve secretly, and these are accomplished undetected. Their strenuous initiations continue without anyone else discovering what is literally happening on top of their heads, above the church sanctuary. The group becomes bold, planning actions of greater consequence, dangerous actions. But are they still a group or club, or are they now a gang? When, if ever, is such activity justified? The nation is Denmark, the time is World War II, and the Nazis occupy the village. Gunnar and Lars are brothers, their father is a pastor, and the family boarder might be Jewish. All in the group have various motives. The novel is suspenseful, full of action and even a dash of first love. Although the outcome is unrealistic, breathless readers probably won't mind a happier ending than actual historical events would have provided. CCBC categories: Fiction For Teenagers. 1994, Dutton, 215 pages, $14.99. Ages 12-15.
(PUBLISHER: Dutton Children's Books (New York N.Y.:), PUBLISHED: 1994.)

Betsy Hearne (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 1994 (Vol. 47, No. 7))
In a distinct turn from his Buster novels (BCCB 1/92, etc.), Reuter here traces the dark fate of Lars, determined to follow in his big brother Gunnar's footsteps as a taunter and baiter of the Germans who have occupied their Denmark town. Gunnar, entering his senior year in high school and eighteen months older than Lars, has formed a secret organization of friends who take small potshots at the enemy, stealing Nazi flags and deflating tires. When Lars and another new, younger rebel, fierce little Otto, become involved, the mischief becomes more damaging and far more dangerous. Otto has a gun, and gets another from the German supply depot, and what had been almost a game becomes a conspiracy, as the boys' actions threaten to impede the Nazi invasion of Norway. Though the telling is rather clipped and telegraphic (how much translation affects the style is hard to say), the basic material here is exciting. Reuter moves credibly from a boys' snug clubhouse atmosphere through a taut transition into war-torn adulthood. Each character is clearly delineated, especially the two brothers, whose relationship is complicated by their love for the same girl. It's an involving book, and one that shows how courage changed-and too often claimed-young lives. R--Recommended. Reviewed from galleys (c) Copyright 1994, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1994, Dutton, [192p], $14.99. Grades 6-9.
(PUBLISHER: Dutton Children's Books (New York N.Y.:), PUBLISHED: 1994.)

Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Two Danish brothers and their friends risk their lives to oppose the Nazi occupation in this dramatic novel based on a true story; a winner of the Batchelder Award. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
(PUBLISHER: Puffin Books (New York N.Y. U.S.A.:), PUBLISHED: 1996 c1994.)